Star: bring back the mark

KERRY star Kieran Donaghy has insisted that the GAA should have retained the ‘mark’ for this year’s All-Ireland football championships.

Donaghy was disappointed with the lack of clean catches in yesterday’s All-Ireland semi-final and believes with an emphasis on short kick-outs, high-fielding is fast becoming a dying art.

Donaghy called on the GAA to review the situation and admitted that he was a huge fan of the ‘mark’, which was experimented with during this year’s NFL campaign.

Donaghy, speaking on RTÉ Radio last night, said: “The worst thing I thought about today was the lack of long kick-outs and the lack of high fielding. That’s why the mark should have been kept. You saw the Dublin-Tyrone game, Dublin let Tyrone get every short kick-out. It’s something the game is lacking today – a few high catches.”

Donaghy revealed Kerry zoned in on Dublin keeper Stephen Cluxton’s short kickouts ahead of the 2009 All-Ireland quarter-final between the counties won easily by Kerry.

Donaghy said: “When we played them last year, it was something we really homed in on, to try and secure more of his kick-outs because it is a big part of Dublin’s game, the way they get the ball from kick-outs.”